


Learning To Care

by shadowNova



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Child Abuse, Feel-good fluff, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Ownership, Pet Abuse, Petstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-11-20 19:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/589003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowNova/pseuds/shadowNova
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She’s so small when you first see her. So small, and tiny, and delicate, green eyes looking up at you, grey hands holding her blue hat to her head, horns poking out the top. There’s a fresh cut across her forehead, and bruises on her arms. Her hair looks like it’s been hacked off with a knife, sloppily and carelessly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ==> Jake: Find a Troll

**Author's Note:**

> Ah... Hi! Hello! Shadow here! Right, so I'm just setting up another tent in our illegal tent-city of Petstuck, I own nothing but mistakes, please don't murderificate me. Hm... Murderificate... I like that word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah... Hi! Hello! Shadow here! Right, so I'm just setting up another tent in our illegal tent-city of Petstuck, I own nothing but mistakes, please don't murderificate me. Hm... Murderificate... I like that word.

She’s so small when you first see her. So small, and tiny, and delicate, green eyes looking up at you, grey hands holding her blue hat to her head, horns poking out the top. There’s a fresh cut across her forehead, and bruises on her arms. Her hair looks like it’s been hacked off with a knife, sloppily and carelessly.  
She looks helpless, completely helpless, and you stop in your tracks. You look around, then look back to the tiny troll, and sigh, walking towards her. She flinches when you near, and you kneel carefully, looking at her. “Shhh, shh, I’m not going to hurt you, you’re okay. You’re okay.” You’re supposed to be on your way to work, but hell, she looks so fragile, huddled there in that little alleyway, shivering in the bitter winter cold, that you decide to say fuck it, you’ll apologize tomorrow. You reach forward carefully, and she hisses, lashing at your hand, sharp little claws leaving tiny cuts along your skin. You pull your hand back, looking at the frightened little troll. Her eyes are now wide in horror, and she presses herself to the wall, ducking her head and shaking.  
You grimace, pulling your overly large jacket off. You reach for her again, and she whimpers pitifully as you draw her into your arms, stroking her back gently, murmuring soft, meaningless words to calm her. You carefully wrap the large jacket around her- and gods, she’s so tiny, so absolutely tiny and it’s like a fucking blanket on her, a giant blanket on a tiny little troll. Her tail wraps around her waist, slinking into the jacket, and she whimpers and sniffles, trying to pull away from you.  
“Shhh, shh, it’s okay, you’re okay, I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. You’re safe, you’re alright.” Fuck, she’s thin, too thin, has anyone been feeding her, is she okay? You stand, trying to remember where the nearest vet is, to remember who you can bring her to, because surely you can’t keep her, right? You don’t know the first thing about trolls, and- you accidentally look at her, and she looks so fucking pitiful, pulling the hood of the jacket up to cover her face, hiding her little horns, hiding her wide eyes and her tiny teeth and the scratches on her face, and you forget your train of thought. You hug her close, protectively, walking out to the street and hailing a cab. “Nearest vet, please.”  
And she whimpers throughout the entire car ride, trying to pull away from you at first, her tiny body shivering, and you just hug her closer, murmuring soothingly. When the cab arrives at the vet, you hand the driver a roll of bills, not even bothering to count them, and hurry inside. The troll in your arms shivers and shudders, pushing at you, trying to force you to put her down, but you don’t. You hold her tightly, carefully, and you talk to the office aide. The woman tells you to sit down and wait, and you don’t want to, but you do. You sit in one of the chairs, and look at the little troll- and fuck, she’s crying, you don’t know what to DO when someone’s crying, so you just hug her and pet her head, right between her horns, other hand stroking her back. She flinches every time your hand comes near, but you don’t care, you don’t.  
When the vet calls you into her office you stand, carrying the little troll inside, and look at her. She’s not too tall, nor not to short, with long black hair and green eyes. She smiles at you, until she sees the troll. “Oh! What happened to her?” There’s a hint of suspicion in her voice, as if she thinks maybe you’re responsible for the troll’s condition, and you speak hurriedly. “I don’t know- I, I found her in an alleyway on the way to work, she was injured. I don’t know how long she’d been there, she hasn’t talked yet, and please, can you help her?” You’re babbling, you don’t mean to but you are. The vet rests her hand on your shoulder, silencing you.  
“Breath, sir. Calm down. How long ago did you find her?” Her voice is calm, a balm for your troubled mind. You shut your eyes, forcing yourself to breath, to calm down. “No more than half an hour, I think, I took a taxi here when I found her.” You’re still freaking out from finding the girl in the first place, and don’t notice as the doctor carefully removes her from your arms- at least, not until you hear a small whimper. You look up, and see the little troll huddling in your coat, whimpering and holding herself as far away from the vet as physically possible. The vet hums softly, stroking the trolls back and speaking softly. To your amazement, the small troll calms.  
The vet sets the little troll on a metal table. “Stay.” It’s an order, but her voice is soft and gentle. The vet turns and gets out several medical supplies, then proceeds to begin examining the troll. You watch in worry as the vet checks her temperature, then grimaces and asks the troll to open her mouth. She shines a light into the troll’s mouth, humming softly in distaste as she shakes her head, putting her stethoscope to the troll’s chest. “Deep breaths, dear.” The troll tries, but then coughs pitifully. The vet hums again, shining a light first into the troll’s ears, then her eyes. She follows up by checking the girl’s pulse and blood pressure, muttering to herself all the while. She bandages the trolls scrapes and cuts, taping cotton and gauze to her bruises.  
Finally, the vet finishes, petting the troll between her horns. “You did very well, dear. I’m proud of you.” The tiny troll’s eyes widen, and she looks up at the vet warily for a moment, before huddling back into your coat. The vet looks back to you. “Make sure she gets plenty of fluids, as well as rest. She can take children’s cold medicine, just make sure to give her the dose for right beneath her weight. We have pamphlets on troll caretaking if you need them.” You blink when you realize that the vet just assumed that you would be keeping the troll- then are ashamed of yourself. Of course you’re going to keep her! There’s no way you’re letting this small troll go back to the streets, no way. You’re not a monster! “Um, right, thanks. I’ll need them, I think.”  
You carefully pick up the troll, holding her close as she whimpers. The vet hands you a bunch of pamphlets, and you manage a weak smile as you take them, before hurrying out of the building. You consider hailing a cab, then glance at the troll in your arms, and sigh, pulling out your phone, hitting the speed dial. “Hello?” An inquisitive voice answers you, and you hesitate. “Hello John, it’s me, Jake, and, um… I’m kinda stranded and need help getting home, can you come pick me up?” You glance at the troll in your arms, who looks up at you, a shivering ball of grey skin and wide eyes. “…Quickly, please?”  
“Of course! Where are you? I’ll be there right away!” Tension flows from you, and you relax. “Thanks, John. I’m outside the vet’s office, I’ll explain when you get here, I promise.” Hopefully, by then the troll might be asleep, right? Aren’t they like cats? Whatever. You really don’t want to explain the situation in front of the troll, might upset it. Right? Right.  
It takes ages before John arrives. You shiver in the cold winter air as you hold the troll close, glancing down at her. She’s finally, thank god, fallen asleep, curled up into your jacket, tiny horns pressed against your chest. She looks so small, and fragile, and vulnerable, tucked up against you like this. You can’t help but pull her closer as you get into John’s car, arms wrapping around her protectively. John raises an eyebrow, looking at you, clearly wondering what on earth you’re doing. “Why do you have a troll?”  
You lift your head, looking at your cousin. It takes you a moment to find your voice, looking away from the troll helps. “I found her in an alley, she would have frozen if I didn’t do anything, I couldn’t leave her there. You understand, right?” You look at John hopefully, and he sighs, rolling his eyes and muttering about tenderhearted saps, but he doesn’t sound angry, so you relax. It’s not a long drive home, and the two of you don’t talk too much- you out of a fear of waking the troll, John out of… Okay, you’re not sure why John doesn’t talk. He’s probably just being John. When you get home, you manage a faint smile at him, and hurry inside.  
Seeing that the troll’s still asleep, you set her on the couch, figuring now is as good a time as any to take a look at those pamphlets the nurse gave you. You settle yourself down on the couch beside her, reading through them. “Okay… So the blood color means something, and she’s primarily a carnivore… Okay… They sleep in ‘piles’… Piles? Huh. Weird. And…” You stop, blinking as you stare at the last thing. Well. This could be interesting…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so, uh... I'll probably post the next chapter soon. Probably.


	2. ==> Jake: Recruit Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hot chocolate is made, and Nepeta gets a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheee! This chapter would have been longer, but I wanted to make sure I got it up today, so I cut it off where it was, since I was running out of time. Hopefully, I'll have another ready tomorrow.

After reading through the pamphlets and setting them aside, you decide the troll needs her own pile. You know the pamphlets said that she’d be happy even with a pile of rocks, but that just seems awful to you, you can’t bring yourself to do that. You don’t think there’s much soft stuff in your house, but you’re sure you can find something. Right?

Fifteen minutes later, you’re rewarded when you find an old stash of quilts, from winters when you and your cousins stayed here during the winter, with your grandmother. Given that you’re living alone these days, you figure it probably wouldn’t hurt anything to use them to make a pile for the troll. Speaking of the troll, you should probably figure out her name soon, you can’t just keep calling her ‘the troll’ or ‘the girl’.

You carry the blankets to your room, dropping them into the corner and arranging them into a nice, fluffy pile. You look at you work for a minute, considering, then nod to yourself, going back to the living room. The little troll is still curled up asleep on the couch, hugging your jacket tight around herself. To your amusement, she’s sucking on the tip of her tail, though you’re not sure why. Still, it’s pretty cute. You smile a little, and very carefully and gently, remove your jacket from her grip. She mewls softly in protest, stirring, then returns to sleeping as you set the jacket down beside her, picking her up carefully. She’s so light and small; you still can’t help but be amazed by it as you carry her to your bedroom, setting her down in the pile. She instantly burrows into the blankets, until you can’t see her.

You smile slightly, then head over to your computer, logging in to pesterchum. Your cousin’s screenname, gardenGnostic , is lit up, and it doesn’t take you long to open up a chat with her.

\-- at 11:45a.m. golgothasTerror began pestering gardenGnostic –-

GT: ‘ello there.  
GG: hey! ^_^  
GT: how are you today?  
GG: i’m good what’s up?  
GT: well, i just adopted a troll, and, uh, i don’t really know much about taking care of trolls, and i’m not entirely comfortable leaving her in the house alone, i was wondering if maybe you would like to come visit?  
GG: sure! that sounds fun, i’ll be there in a couple days, probably!  
GT: great! be careful with her, she’s been hurt, and i don’t know her name yet.  
\-- at 11:45a.m. golgothasTerror ceased pestering gardenGnostic –-

You close Pesterchum, feeling satisfied with yourself. The troll surely would like Jade! Everyone likes Jade! …Right? Right. Jade’s awesome. Everyone loves Jade. So, the troll will too.

You’re knocked out of your thinking by a soft sound, and turn around quickly. The little troll’s woken up, rubbing her eyes sleepily and yawning, showing sharp teeth. “Hey there. Feeling better?” You smile, getting up and walking over to her. The troll flinches, looking up at you. “Shh, shh, I’m not going to hurt you. Do you have a name?” She nods slightly, and whispers, “Npta.” “Nipta?” She shakes her head. “Npeta.” “Nepeta?” Finally, she nods, and you feel immensely pleased. “Nice to meet you, Nepeta! I’m Jake. Is the pile okay? I wasn’t sure.” She nods again, hugging her hat. She seems nervous, and uncertain, but you suppose that’s to be expected- after all, she DID just wake up in a strange, unfamiliar place. You think to yourself for a moment, wondering how to put her more at ease. “Are you hungry, Nepeta?” She tenses, looking at you, then hesitantly nods. “Alright. Come on, I’ll fix you something to eat.” You scoop her up, petting between her horns as you carry her to the kitchen. 

You set the troll- no, Nepeta, you need to remember to call her Nepeta, not ‘the troll’- down on the counter, where you can keep an eye on her as you prepare her food, then go over to the fridge, opening it and looking through it. You don’t tend to have much food in the house, since you live alone, but you’re pretty sure you’ve got sandwich meat in there somewhere. If you can ever find it, as to your dismay, the fridge is hopelessly cluttered. Geez, you’ll need to tidy that up sometime, so it doesn’t come alive and eat you.

It takes a bit, but eventually, you manage to find the lunch meat in the fridge, hidden in the back, behind the milk. Speaking of milk… Well, the pamphlet did say that it was good for them... And surely you have chocolate somewhere… “Nepeta? Would you like some hot chocolate?” you ask, glancing over at her. Nepeta looks surprised, pointing at herself as if asking ‘me?’, looking around as if maybe there’s another Nepeta hiding somewhere in the room. You can’t help but chuckle, “Yes, you, Nepeta. I’ll go ahead and make you some, I guess.” You get out the milk and lunchmeat, setting them on the counter next to Nepeta. “How hungry are you, on a scale of one to ten?” She looks at you in confusion, and you wince, realizing your mistake. “You can’t count?” She nods. “Alright…”

Rather then try to figure out how to word in in a way she’ll understand, you just get out several slices of the turkey, passing them to her for her to nibble on. You get a couple cups down from the cupboard, filling them with milk and sticking them in the microwave to heat up while you search for the chocolate mix. For once, it doesn’t take too long- probably, you figure, because you’re always making hot chocolate. About five minutes later, both of you have a cup of the chocolaty drink, and are sitting at the table. You watch Nepeta as you sip at your cup, observing how she hunches in on herself as she nibbles, as if she’s scared that you’ll take the food away. For the first time, you find yourself wondering what happened to her, and wishing you could murder her previous owners. The violence of the thought startles you a little, but not too much. You’re too angry about how scared the little troll is to be more startled.

Nepeta had started sipping on her chocolate while you were lost in thought, and now you can’t help but smile- she likes it, evidently, given that she’s guzzling it rather quickly. Soon, it’s gone, and she looks up at you with wide, hopeful eyes, tail flicking back and forth. “More?” It’s only the second word you’ve heard her say, and you’re stunned. Evidently, you take too long to reply, given that Nepeta makes puppy eyes at you, her kitty hat partially covering them, and you chuckle. “Oh, alright.” You take the cup from her, idly scratching between her horns as she passes, amused when she nuzzles your hand, then head over to the counter to make her another cup of chocolate.

Soon enough, Nepeta’s finished this cup as well. She doesn’t seem even nearly as scared anymore, and instead seems much more like the troll kid she actually is. In fact, currently, she’s climbed out of her chair, starting to explore the kitchen. Everything- and you do mean everything- is investigated, before she gets bored and climbs up onto the counter, tail curling around her legs. “Having fun, Nepeta?” She nods, with a grin. Looking her over, you realize that she’s kinda dirty- there’s still dirt and grime on her from when you found her, and now she’s got chocolate on her face, too. “You need a bath, Nepeta.”

Aaaand there goes her hyperness. She looks at you, eyes wide, then jumps from the counter to the fridge, just like a cat, legs flailing little before she manages to pull herself up. “Nepeta?” “Nyo bath!” She actually hisses at you, cowering on the top of the fridge. “Nepeta, you’re dirty. You need a bath!” What’s wrong with this girl? Doesn’t she realize you’re trying to help her? “Nepeta, get down from there!” “Nyooo! Nyo bath! Bath bad!” Bath… Bad? Oh! She must be scared of the water, you realize. You soften your tone, speaking gently, “Nepeta, you need a bath. The water won’t hurt you, I promise. I’ll be right there, okay? I’ll even test it for you.”

Nepeta looks at you suspiciously. “Purrmise?” she asks, rolling the r. “Yes, I promise. Come down now? Please?” She looks like she doesn’t want to, but after a moment, she hops back down to the counter, and you relax, walking over and scooping her up. She wraps her tail around her waist, grumbling softly. You pet her back gently, smiling softly at her. “It’s okay, Nepeta.” The look she gives you tells you she clearly doesn’t believe that, and you sigh and shake your head, carrying her to the bathroom. “Okay, while I go get towels, I need you to get undressed- I’m going to go ahead and wash your clothes while you get your bath, okay?” Nepeta nods mutely, and you smile reassuringly at her, setting her down and heading off to go get the towels.

When you come back, Nepeta’s sitting on the counter in just her undies, her clothes sitting in a crumpled heap next to her. “Good girl. I’ll be right back, okay? I need to go put your clothes in the washer, I’ll be right back.” You pick the clothes up, ignoring the nervous expression on her face as you head to the laundry room, dumping the clothes in the washer. You pour in the regular amount of laundry soap, consider for a moment, then add in some more laundry soap and fabric softener and head back.

Within the next ten minutes, the tub is full of warm water, and one troll. Nepeta glares at you as she sits in the water, arms crossed over her chest. “Grr.” “Yes, yes, I know. You don’t like the water. Just behave and it’ll be over shortly, okay?” When she nods slightly, you relax a little, getting out the shampoo and starting in on her hair. Thankfully, she behaves as you bathe her, squirming only a little, and soon enough, you’re done. “There, was that so hard?” you ask as you lift her out of the tub, wrapping her in a towel. “Mnph.” Nepeta glares at you again, huddling into the towel so only her horns and tail are visible, and you chuckle. “Alright, alright. Wait here, I’ll see if your clothes are done, okay?”

It turns out that they aren’t, so instead you search for something for her to wear while they dry. After several minutes of searching, you manage to find some of Jade’s old clothes from when she was younger. They’re a bit big, but at the very least Nepeta can wear the shirt as a dress while her own clothes dry. You mentally make a note to pick up some clothes for her next time you’re out shopping, and bring the shirt to her. After you help her into the shirt, Nepeta glares at you and stalks off to go hide in her pile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the pesterlog isn't colored, it was, but it didn't want to stay that way, I guess.


	3. ==> Nepeta: Go Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nepeta meets Jade, freaks out, then goes shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about missing yesterday's update, I'll try to get a second one up today to make up for it.

The Jake-human is strange. He fed you, and made you a nice warm cuddly pile, even gave you yummy tasting warm stuff. Of course, he also made you take a bath, and put yucky soap in your fur. You’re not really happy about that. But still, he seems nice. He didn’t yell at you when you climbed the fridge, and he hasn’t even hit you once! You almost like him- almost. He’s still a human, after all. He might change his mind about liking you. The though makes you shudder, and you grab onto the brim of your kitty hat, reminding yourself that yes, it’s still there, he really did give it back.

The Jake-human’s in the kitchen at the moment, so now’s the perfect time to explore the rest of his house. His sleeping area is boring, and so is the yucky soap area, so instead you go to see what else there is. After a few minutes of wandering the hallways- at least, it feels like a few minutes- you find a nifty little small space. It’s got lots of fluffy things, and there’s a space on the bottom that you just know would be perfect for a pile- it looks so cozy! You run back to the Jake-human’s sleeping area, grabbing the blanket’s from your pile and dragging them along with you as you head back to the awesome spot. You hear a weird ringing sound right when you’re in the middle of setting up your pile. It’s an odd sound, kinda familiar, like the one you used to hear in your old human’s house- but not exactly, it sounds more melodic, nicer. It can’t hurt to check it out, right?

When you peek around the corner of the hallway, there’s a weird girl standing in the doorway of the building. She’s got bright green eyes, long black hair, and rectangular glass things over her eyes. Oh yeah, and a dorky grin. She and the Jake-human are hugging, gushing a little at each other, and you peek past to see this weird, totally white dog. He reminds you of a lusus, though come to think of it, you’re not exactly sure what a lusus is, having never seen one- but your old human used to talk about them, so they must be bad. The Jake-human’s telling the Weird-human about you now- “Yeah, I think Nepeta’s napping right now, last I checked she was kinda tired. Want me to go check on her?” The Weird-human peeks past the Jake-human, looking at you, and you eep, darting back around the corner to run back to your awesome-spot.

You burrow your way into the pile, faintly hearing the Jake-human and the Weird-human saying something, but you can’t make it out as you wrap our tail around yourself, hopping not to be found. Footsteps near your pile, but they don’t sound like either of the humans. Maybe it’s the Lusus-dog? Something disturbs the blankets at the top of your pile, until a white nose pokes through, nudging your face. You eep again, pressing yourself against the back of your pile, staring at it. You hear the Weird-human again, and it sounds amused. “Well, it looks like Bec found her. Come on out, sweetie, I’m not going to hurt you.” You glare at the dog’s nose, totally not believing her. You’re not stupid. You know not to trust humans, humans are mean! Except for the Jake-human, that is. He’s different. He’ll protect you.

There’s more disturbance in the top of your pile, and before you even realize what’s going on, the Jake-human’s holding you in his arms, walking back towards the Weird-human. You eep, clinging onto him and hiding your face in his shoulder as he speaks. “Jade, this is Nepeta. Nepeta, this is Jade. Can you say hi, Nepeta?” You shake your head rapidly, whimpering. Doesn’t he know that she’s bad? She’ll hurt you, it’s what people do! You don’t want to be here, you don’t, you want to be in your pile. “Come on, Nepeta, Jade’s nice! She won’t hurt you, I promise!”

That makes you pause. He did keep his promise when he bathed you a couple days ago, after all. But… You’re not sure. He still could be tricking you. “You pawmise?” Your voice is barely a whisper. You remove your head from his shoulder, just enough to look directly into his eyes. He nods, resting a hand on the back of your head. “I promise.” Well… You turn a little to look at the Jade-human. “…’lo.” She smiles at you. “Hello! Jake’s told me so much about you, it’s nice to meet you!” The Lusus-dog is at her feet again, wagging it’s tail happily, and you look at it suspiciously. “Oh! That’s my dog, Bec, he’s really nice!” The Bec-lusus barks in what seems to be agreement, but you don’t trust it. You turn, hiding your face in the Jake-human’s shoulder, relaxing as he rests a hand on your back. You don’t trust her, you don’t. She’s bigger then you! What if the Jake-human makes you leave?

“Nepeta, Jade’s going to be staying with us for a little bit, she’ll be looking after you while I’m at work. She’ll be taking you to go get some new clothes, okay?” You shake your head quickly. “Come on, Nepeta. I have to go to work sometimes, so we can get more hot chocolate stuff. And marshmallows!” That makes you lift your head a little. “More chocolate?” He nods. “If you’re good, I’ll even make you some everyday when I get home from work. Sound good?” You consider it for a moment, and nod. “Alright. Jade, will you be okay with taking her out to go shopping today?” “Of course! Nepeta, would you like me to do your hair?” You lift your head, blinking, then nod slightly. “Great!”

About half an hour later, you’re sitting in front of the mirror in the yucky soap room, while the Jade-human oh so gently brushes your hair out. You consider that maybe you were wrong about her, but you’re not sure. Still, it feels nice. You haven’t had your hair brushed in… You can’t even remember, it’s been so long. You see the Jade-human smiling at you through the mirror. “What do you think? Do you like it?” You nod, and she removes the brush, placing your hat onto your head and adjusting it so your horns poke through the holes. “There we go. Ready to go shopping?” You hesitate, then nod.

The Jade-human’s car is small, which is perfect for you, since it means you don’t need a car seat. She buckles you into the passenger seat, petting your horns a little, which makes you smile involuntarily. Then you’re off, driving to the mall. You look out the window the whole time, watching small flurries of snow drift by. It’s rather pretty, and you wonder if there’ll be enough snow to play in, later. Would the Jake-human even let you? You’re not entirely sure.

When you arrive at the mall, you’re not sure you want to go in, but the Jade-human doesn’t give you a choice. She scoops you up, balancing you on a hip, and you eep, clinging to her. The Jade-human laughs a little, petting your horns. “It’s okay, Nepeta. I just don’t want to risk you getting lost. Okay?” You nod mutely, but you don’t let go until you’re in the building, with her setting you down. She pets your horns again, and reaches down to hold your hand. “Alright, we’re going to just go ahead and get you some regular clothes, okay? Do you know what size you wear?” When you shake your head, she shrugs. “Oh well. We’ll figure it out!”

The clothing section is almost too much for you. In all of your short life, you’ve never seen so much clothing in one place. Jackets, scarves, brightly colored shirts, hair things- so much stuff. You decide instantly that it’s awesome and epic and really cool. “Go ahead and pick out some stuff, Nepeta. I’ll be right behind you.” You nod mutely, looking around. You’re a little overwhelmed, but you try to get yourself to walk, staring a little at the selection of items. You eventually pick out a fluffy green jacket, a few shirts with pictures of kitties on them, and several pairs of jeans. The Jade-human smiles brightly as she buys the stuff for you, and you decide that you were indeed wrong about her- she’s really nice!

To your surprise, your next stop is a toy store. The Jade-human smiles again, kneeling down. “Every kid needs a few toys, right? Besides, Jake said I could buy you whatever I wanted, go get yourself something.” She nudges you forward, and you hesitantly look around. This has to be a trick, right? Clothes and food are one thing, but toys are entirely different! You don’t get toys! Your old human always said that toys were for people, not burdens like you! Right? The Jade-human nudges you again, and you hesitantly walk forward, looking around the store. Everything looks so wonderful, and luxurious, surely it can’t be for you. Still, it’s better not to risk angering her. You know what happens when you make humans mad at you, it hurts.

You wind up standing in front a rack of plushies, looking through them until one catches your eye. It’s white, like the Bec-lusus, but instead of a dog, it’s a kitty, with two mouths. It’s pretty big, but you’ve already fallen in love with it. You hesitantly turn to look at the Jade-human as you pick it up and hold it close, making your best puppy eyes and whispering, “Please?” Instead of saying no, like you half expect, the Jade-human beams at you, picking you and the toy both up and carrying you to the register. You whine a little when the toy is taken away from you, but the Jade-human shooshes you, petting your horns. “Shh, shh, it’s okay Nepeta, I’m just ringing it up for you, okay?” You calm down a little and nod, pressing your face to her side as she completes the transaction, and you don’t look up until she nudges you with the toy. Your entire face light up, and you grab it and cling to it, making a happy little noise. She laughs a little, carrying you out of the shop.

You two have a couple more stops before you go home- The grocery, and the pet store. You start to shake when you enter the pet store, mewling a little, but the Jade-human picks you back up and pets your horns again. “It’s okay, I’m not getting rid of you.” You want to believe her, but just in case, you cling on to her and refuse to let go the entire time you’re in the shop. As far as you’re concerned, the sooner you get to leave, the better. By the time she finally brings you out of the mall and back to the car, several boxes of T.V. dinners, steaks, and pot pies have been added to your load, from the grocery, and from the pet store you have a brand new collar, all for you- it has your sign on it and everything,- and several cans of dog food for Bec. While you’re glad to have new stuff, you’re even happier to be back in the car and going back to the Jake-human’s home. Getting new stuff is fun and all, but you’re kinda tired, you’d really like to curl up in your pile. In fact, you’re so sleepy that you actually fall asleep in the car, and Jade has to carry you inside.


	4. ==>Jake: Prepare for Yule

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait. I apologize if I offend anyone with using Yule instead of Christmas.

It's official, you've decided. Nepeta is the cutest troll you've ever seen. She still doesn't really trust you, and she still makes her pile in your linen closet. Hey, whatever makes her happy, you guess. You've been trying to get her used to the way things work in your house- three meals everyday, baths before bed, the works. You're not about to start her on tooth-brushing, though. Given how poorly she responded to a simple bath, you're not sure you'd get away uninjured. Maybe once she trusts you more.

 

Right now, though, you're not really worried about that. You're watching movie currently, an awesome one- or at least, you think it's awesome. You think all movies are awesome, though, so maybe you’re not really the best judge of a movies awesomeness. That’s a word now. Awesomeness.

 

Anyway, you’re watching a movie currently. Specifically, Star Wars. It has robots, aliens, gunfire, explosions- what more could a guy ask for? Nothing, that’s what. Jade’s following today’s Star War’s theme, curled up in an armchair while reading a Star-Wars book- “The Courtship Of Princess Leia”. A favorite of yours, to be honest. You’re not sure where Nepeta is- probably curled up with Bec again.

 

You’re on episode _VI: The Return Of The Jedi,_ when Nepeta crawls up onto the couch on top of you, hugging her stuffed toy in one arm. She looks to you suspiciously, before curling up on your chest to watch the movie, tail tucked around herself. By the time you’ve finished watching the whole series, she’s fast asleep, purring softly. It’s rather cute, to be honest.

 

You scoop her up, carrying her to your bedroom, where you’ve set up a spare pile for her for exactly this purpose. After putting her in the pile, and shutting the door quietly, you find Jade waiting just outside. “She okay?” “Yeah. I think she was just tired or something, she’s alright though.” You’re both whispering, walking away from the door so as to not wake the sleeping girl in the other room.

 

“How’d you get Nepeta, anyway? You never really explained, and I never took you for a troll person.” Jade looks at you, head tilted, and you scratch the back of your neck. “I saw her in an alleyway when I was walking to work, she was scared, and hurt, and sick. I couldn’t just leave her. It would have been, well, wrong.” Jade nods thoughtfully. “Do you know how old she is?” “No, but I’m guessing she’s three or four- the vet said she only weighed about 30 pounds.” You glance back towards the bedroom, frowning. Even now, you still want to find and hurt her previous owners- how could anyone hurt such a sweet kid? A _little_ kid?

 

Jade’s gone quiet, looking back towards the bedroom. “This is... Wrong. She looks so human, she’s just a kid...” You nod a little in agreement. “She’s a person. She deserves to be treated as one.”

 

* * *

 

“Nepeta, come oooon...” “Nyo!” “Your teeth will rot and fall out if you don’t brush them!” “Nyo-nyo-nyo! YUCKY!”

 

As you had suspected, trying to brush Nepeta’s teeth led you to a messy, if rather comical, spectacle. Nepeta’s seated on the edge of the counter, pushing you away when you come close, turning her head this way and that to keep the toothbrush from getting in her mouth. There’s blue foam all over her face from where you missed in your attempts, and a lot in her hair. Jade giggles from the doorway, and you look to her pleadingly. She relents with a grin.

 

“Nepeta, if you’re not good, Saint Nick won’t bring you any Yule presents.” Jade’s been telling your little trouble-maker, as you’ve fondly begun calling Nepeta in your head, about Yule. Or, rather, the bastardized version of Yule that your family celebrates. You’ve already contacted your other family members, they’ve confirmed that they are, of course, coming down for the family get-together.

 

Nepeta looks up, stopping fighting for a moment. “Nyo purrsents?” “Nope. He’ll just pass the house by if he sees you being bad.” It’s a lie, of course. There’s no way y’all aren’t spoiling this little girl rotten on the twenty-first. But, as with all children, the threat works. Still, you feel bad about Jade using it. “But, if you’re good and let me brush your teeth, the three of us can go shopping later. How about that?” Nepeta considers your olive branch, then nods, opening her mouth for you.

 

Two hours later, the three of you are piling out of the car. “Nepeta? Who’s present do you want to buy first?” Nepeta looks from one of you to the other, then points at you. “Alright, then you and Jade can go pick out presents for me, while I pick out presents for you two, then we’ll switch off.” Truth be told, you’re glad she’s going with Jade first. It means that getting the present you’ve picked for her will be that much easier.

 

When you switch off again, half an hour later, you let Nepeta lead you. “Where are we going, Nepeta?” Nepeta looks up at you, then points to an occult shop nearby. “Jaed was looking ofurr there while we were shopping furr you,” she explains. “Ah. Lead on, then.” Nepeta takes a while to look around once inside, browsing the items, and while she does so, you take a moment to look around as well. Spotting something that you think Nepeta would like, you glance over your shoulder to make sure she’s distracted, then bring up up to the register. “Can you ring this up with my other purchases?” You ask softly. The cashier looks confused. “Why not ring it up now?” You motion to Nepeta, who’s examining something. “It’s a christmas present for her, I don’t want her to see it.” The woman nods understandingly.“Ah. Well, I think I can do that, yeah.” You smile at her in thanks, right as you hear Nepeta. “Jaek?”

 

“What do you need, Nepeta?” She points at an object sitting on one of the shelves. “Can I get t’at furr Jaed?” You smile, petting her horns. “Yeah, I think we can do that. I’ll carry it for you, it looks a little heavy.” And sure enough, it is. But, hey. Whatever makes your girl happy. The total price of your purchases totals up to about forty-five dollars, but you're not worried about that. At your request, the cashier hides the gifts in tissue paper. You have a good feeling about this Yule, you really do.


	5. Intermission: Yule

You smile down at Nepeta as you place her in her pile, smoothing her hair on impluse and tucking an extra blanket around her. She still doesn't trust you fully, you know, but she's getting there. You stand there for a moment, before yawning and heading into your bedroom.

 

You're not sure what wakes you at first. You crack an eyelid open slightly, seeing Nepeta peering through the door. You hold very still as she approaches, pulling herself up onto the bed. Nepeta looks at you suspiciously for a moment, then relaxes, curling up on top of your chest. She butts her head lightly against your cheek, horns jabbing just a little as she does, then shuts her eyes. You smile slightly, reaching up to gently scratch behind one of her horns, your smile widening as she purrs. You kiss the top of her head lightly, your other arm wrapping around her in a hug as you shut your eyes, drifting back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

"Nepeta. Nepeta, kiddo." You poke the ball of troll on your chest, chuckling. "Nepeta, wakey-wakey." The little troll grumbles. "Tired, Jaek..." She curls up tighter, pushing her horns against your chest. "It's Yule, Nepeta, don't you want presents?" She perks up, peeking up at you. "Purrsents?" You nod, grinning. "Presents. Gonna get up now?" She sits up, yawning. "Purrsents." She hops out of bed, looking at you expectantly, and you chuckle, taking her hand and leading her out into the living room.

 

She stops in the doorway, staring with wide eyes. On a stand in the middle of the room, is a child sized dress. An olive ribbon ties in front with a large bow, the ends dangling down the skirt, which is made of several layers of gauzy fabric, the longest of which trails the floor. Nepeta's sign is sewn into the front, and above that is a deep blue gemstone, with her sign engraved in it. She turns to you, blinking. "Who is that furr?" She looks so hopeful, and you smile, ruffling her hair. "Let's go see, hm?" She bounds up to the dress, kneeling in front of it and looking for a tag.

 You follow her, lifting the tag. "Let's see... "For Nepeta, from Rose and Kanaya. Happy Yule." You look to her. "Well, I guess it's for you, now isn't it?" You had known it was already, of course. Rose had begged off coming down for Yule, insisting that Nepeta needed a chance to get to know her new family. She'd brought the dress by a couple nights ago, and you'd hid it in your attic. You guess Jade must have brought it down last night while you and Nepeta had been asleep. Nepeta looked up at you, wide eyed. "Furr me?" "Yup. You should go try it on, it'll look good on you." You untie the neck clasp, handing the dress to Nepeta. She squees, running off to the bathroom with her new dress, and you chuckle. Jade joins you waiting for her, sipping at a cp of tea.

 

A few minutes later, Nepeta comes out, twirling. "Look! Look! I's so pretty!" Her tail flicks excitedly, and Jade looks her over, smiling. "That you do, Nepeta.  Come here, please?" She pats her lap, and after some hesitation, Nepeta hurries over, climbing into Jade's lap. Jade pulls a hairbrush out of her purse, brushing the little trolls hair with a smile. "Want me to braid your hair, or put it in pigtails?" Nepeta tilts her head back. "Braid!" Jade giggles, nodding. You chuckle, getting up and going to the attic, coming back with an armload of presents, which you set under the tree before going back up to grab the rest.

 

Just as you arrange the last of the presens under the tree, you hear the doorbell ring. "I've got it." You stand, opening the door, grinning when you see John and Dave. It's good to see them together, you were rather happy for them when they finally admitted their attraction to each other a few months ago- it was good to see your best friend's elder brother and your cousin happy together. "Hey, you two! Come on in, you're early." You wave them inside, grinning, Nepeta looks up, jumping from Jade's lap as she finishes the braid. She looks to John and Dave warily, growling softly. John, at least, backs off, but Dave simply walks over, kneeling down in front of her, raising an eyebrow. "What's your name, kid?"

 

She looks up at him, tail flicking. "Nepeta." Her answer is short, concise- like the answers she used to give you. Dave nods a little, smirking and patting her head. "Keep trying, kiddo. You're not intimidating yet, give it a couple more years, once you've got some proper muscles." She blinks, dumb founded. "...Mewl?" You cover your mouth with a hand, chuckling. "I's a furrocious lion!" Nepeta pouts up at Dave, who laughs, scratching behind one of her howns. "Maybe a lion cub. Wanna know a secret?" Nepeta tilts her head, and Dave leans forward, whispering to her. You'd try to listen in, but the doorbell rings again, distracting you.

 

This time, it's Jane and Roxy. Jane runs forward, hugging you. "Jake! Happy Yule! How are you? Oh, is that your troll, you mentioned her over the ph- mnph!" Roxy covers your sisters mouth with a hand. "Janey, let him speak. Silly." You laugh. "It's good to see you too, Jane, Roxy. Come on inside. Yes, that's Nepeta inside, and I'm doing well." You lead them inside, taking the presents from Jane's arms and placing them under the tree. You see that John's already place his under the tree, and you nod to your cousin. "So, who else is coming, Jake?" John walks over to you, glancing and Nepeta and Dave. "Dirk said he'd come by in a bit, he's still got some presents to buy." John nods. "Makes sense, I guess. Rose isn't coming?" You shake your head. "She said Nepeta needed to get to know family. Personally, I think she just already had plans." Dave and Nepeta finally finish talking, and you clear your throat. "Anyone want hot chocolate?" Nepeta perks up, bouncing to her feet. "With mewllows?" "Of course with mallows. Would be a crime not to have mallows. Right Jake?" Dave looks up to you with a smirk, and you roll your eyes, heading into the kitchen to make the drinks.

 

Nepeta's just finishing her second cup when the doorbell rings, and you set your cup to the side, getting up to answer the door. Predictably, it's Dirk, and you roll your eyes, taking the presents from his arms. "Come on inside, everyone else is already here." You set the presents under the tree, looking over to see Nepeta talking with Jane and Roxy, who seem to be enamored with her cuteness. She's playing with the ears of her stuffed cat, looking to you every few seconds. For a while, everyone just chats, as you wait to see if Rose has changed her mind. Around noon, you decide that she hasn't, and you stand, clearing your throat. "Is everyone ready to open presents, or should we wait a while?" Nepeta looks up. "Purrsents!" Dave chuckles. "Sure, whatever." You shoo everyone over to seats, heading over to the tree. Nepeta ends up in Jade's lap, John and Dave end up snuggling on the couch, with Dirk sitting next to them. Roxy claims the other armchair, and Jane sits on the floor in front of her.

 

"Let's see... First present is for John and Dave, from Dirk." You pass out presents one at a time, saving Nepeta's and Jade's for last. "Alright, this one is from Dave, to Nepeta." Nepeta bounced to her feet, hurrying over to Jake. Jake dropped the present in her hands, and she tore it open, pulling out a pair of sunshades. She looked up at Dave, blinking, then smiled with a giggle. "T'ank you, Daev!"

 

Watching Dave just, melt a little at that? Was perfect.

 

Nepeta ended up with a robotic kitty from Dirk, a thing of catnip from Jane and Roxy- you suspect shenannigins- a movie poster- Nic Cage, of course- from John, and more blankets for her pile from Jade and Bec. Finally, it's time to give her your presents. You pull the first out from beneath the tree, holding out a small box. "This one's from me, Nepeta." She taks it carefully, opening it slowly, careful not to tear the paper. She looks at the jewelry box in her hands, then opens it carefully. Inside is a metal pendant, on a long, delicate chain. The pendant itself is silver, shaped into the astrological sign of Leo. A small peridot gem is placed in the circle formed by the sign, glittering in the slowly dimming sunlight. Nepeta looked up at you, eyes wide. "This... This is furr me?" You nod, taking it from her gently to place it around her neck, and pull out her other present from you. She looks up at you, then carefully takes it from your hands, opening it.

 

Inside is a new kitty hat, one that might fit her a little better, a pair of mittens designed to look like kitty paws, and a scarf. She squeaks, hugging you quickly before putting her new clothes on, giggling and twirling. "T'ank you, Jaek!" She stops, looking up at you. "Can I give Jaed her purrsent now?" You nod, and she squeaks again, pulling a large box out from under the tree and carrying it carefully over to Jade. She watches Jade expectantly as the older woman opens the present, and bounces when Jade gasps in surprise. Inside the box is a large, black, glass orb, with the zodiac signs etched into it. It stands on a little pedastle, catching the light, and Jade turns it to look it over. She smiles, setting it on the ground and kneeling down to hug Nepeta. "Thank you, I love it." Nepeta bounces a little, purring, and you smile.

 Everyone tries to remain awake through the night, singing yule-tide carols and just enjoying eachothers company. By morning, you're all asleep, spread out throughout the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, quick question- what pairings are y'all interesting in seeing? Right now, I haven't made anything official about Rose and Kanaya, so if you'd like to see those two- or Jake- in different pairings, I might be able to do that.
> 
> For the record, for familial relationships, the four J's- John, Jade, Jane, and Jake- are all related to each other, and the R-D's- Rose, Roxy, Dave, and Dirk- are related to each other. So pairings like JakexJane, or RoxyxDirk- I'm not gonna write those, sorry.


	6. ==> Jake: Cuddle Your Troll!

A soft shuffling wakes you from your sleep. You crack one eye open, smiling when you see Nepeta sneaking across the room. You scoot over, patting the bed, and she climbs up, curling into a ball against your chest. You wrap your arms around your troll, softly scratching behind her horns. She stiffens a little, slowly settling and butting her horns against your chest, purring softly.

It's been a month and a half since Nepeta entered your life, and she's gone a long way from the frightened little troll she was when you first adopted her. That day in winter, when you found the tiny troll shivering out on the street, feels like a lifetime ago. Or two, your not sure. Two seems a bit more likely. You're a long way away from being the perfect family, but you're getting there, one day at a time.

  
"Jaek?" Her soft voice interrupts your thoughts, and you look to the small bundle of troll happily curled up on your chest. "Mm?" "What happens now?" She looks up at you, olive eyes hesitant, and you kiss her forehead. "We keep going. Go back to sleep, Nepeta." She nods, shutting her eyes again, and you smile faintly.

 

Yes, your life has been changed forever. But, you don't really mind. She taught you to care, now you'll teach her to love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it! Well, kinda. Sorta. I'm still going to be writing scenes in this story, ones that either I come up with, or are requested, but for all official purposes, this fic is pretty much done. Why? Simple- I've got other stories I need to focus on, including my other Petstuck story, Concrete Angel. But that doesn't mean I'll be dropping this one- if I see a suggestion for a scene I like, I'll still take it, and add to it. Thank you, all of you, for sticking along for the ride!

**Author's Note:**

> Right, so, uh... I'll probably post the next chapter soon. Probably.


End file.
